Karen Billings-Jensen: Age Concern CEO on the increasing number of retirees in rentals

Age Concern is calling for a better variety of rental options as the age of tenants begins to increase.  

The office of the Retirement Commission is predicting the number of retirees in rentals will double by 2048 - meaning the sector will fill with more than 600 thousand over 65s. 

Age Concern Chief Executive Karen Billings-Jensen told Mike Hosking we need to figure out how to balance this increase and providing suitable options for ageing.  

She says there are lots of new houses being built, but most of the ones she sees in her area are two story homes. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's interesting stat for you seventeen past seven. By the way,

(00:02):
by twenty forty eight, number of retirees living in rentals
expected to double. That's more than six hundred thousand to
over sixty fives in the private rental sector. Comes out
of a Retirement Commission report age. Concerned Chief executive Karen
Billings Jensen's with us on there's Karen, very good morning
to you, goodain morning. Do you believe the numbers? I
was mucking around with some of the sensors and starts
that that's a lot. That's a huge percentage of over

(00:24):
sixty fives if one is it true? And if it
is true, what's gone wrong? Do you reckon?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
So our understanding is that it is true. And certainly
that's what the trajectory is looking like because we can
see that home minership has been dropping and there's a
whole lot of well trod reasons around that. So obviously,
if home minership dropping, then rental is going up.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
And the the problems with that is what the uncertainty.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Well, obviously the uncertainty everyone wants to have a secure
home to live in, warm, comfortable, safe, accessible, and that's
one of the problems you know, most people want to
age place or they want to age in the community
that they've got connections with that they know. You know,
no people have family, have friends. But sometimes our housing

(01:09):
stock well many times it isn't suitable to agent. And
even many of the newer houses that are being built,
and in the area where I live, lots of new buildings,
but most to story homes.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
Okay, so you don't want to tell story. What about
the apartment market, which has been up until recently relatively
boyish in terms of new builds, most of them a
single level is that is that an option or the
longer term rental market, you know where you assign a
rental agreement for twenty five thirty years.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Well, what the research shows is that actually landlords have
a really positive, you know, reliable, respectful, low maintenance. So
while apartment living is as great, I guess it's also
thinking around the belt environment, like where are they, how
accessible are they? You know, you certainly don't want to

(01:58):
be stuck number of flaws up the powers out then
you can't look.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
I know people, I know all the people who live
in an apartment buildings and that's sort I think that's
more urban myth I mean because the times the power
go out, I means very rare that that happens, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Oh No, And I agree. So it's definitely a solution
for some people. But again with people wanting to age
in the communities that they know and where they know
their doctor, where they know their shops. Yeah, it's really
just how we're going to marry up the increasing number
of people that will be looking for rentals and an
older age that will be suitable to agent.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Okay, nice and so I appreciate it very much. Our
Karen Buildings Jensen age Care CEO. For more from the
Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks that'd be
from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.